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Government listing decision paves way for Make's Battersea towers

22 October, 2009 | By Merlin Fulcher

National Grid’s plans to redevelop a ‘landmark’ gasholder in Battersea could proceed following a decision by DCMS to grant the site immunity from listing

Make’s scheme for the site, which features four mixed-use towers and a public courtyard, would involve the demolition of an ‘impressive’ 1930s gasholder, which was granted immunity from listing despite the government noting it’s ‘prominence as a local landmark’.

National Grid welcomed the decision, which will allow for five years of immunity from listing. A spokesman said: ‘We are now considering our options for regenerating this key site which, for the time being, remains in active use.’

The light blue gasholder, which is close to Battersea Power Station and visible from passing trains, lacks the ‘dramatic design interest’ necessary to justify it being listed, according to the government report. It adds that although the gasholder is ‘impressive for its utilitarian bulk, it is nonetheless of insufficient architectural or technical interest for consideration for designation’.

The scheme was thought earlier this year to have been shelved but a spokesperson for the development said today it was ‘never off the road’.

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